Monday, April 23, 2012

Travelzoo Inc. (NASDAQ: TZOO), a global Internet media company, it has surpassed 6 million subscribers in Europe.
Travelzoo's European subscriber base now accounts for 24 percent of all
subscribers to the Travelzoo brand. An additional 13 percent of
subscribers to the Travelzoo brand are in Asia Pacific, where Travelzoo is independently owned and operated by Travelzoo (Asia) Ltd. and Travelzoo Japan K.K. under a license agreement with Travelzoo Inc. The remaining subscribers are in North America.

"We are thrilled to reach this new milestone in Europe," said Chris Loughlin,
chief executive officer of Travelzoo. "The Travelzoo brand resonates
among subscribers in many countries worldwide, because it stands for
quality, simplicity and trust. We will continue to focus on these three
brand attributes as we continue to scale."

Travelzoo publishes travel, entertainment and local deals in 11
countries worldwide. More than 250 Deal Experts research, evaluate and
test deals each week, only publishing the very best to Travelzoo
subscribers.

Priceline.com (Nasdaq: PCLN) released its second set of
findings on Android, iPhone and iPad users who are booking rental cars
and hotel rooms through priceline.com's Hotel Negotiator app for Android and Hotel & Rental Car Negotiator app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.
Here are the key findings from priceline.com's latest batch of mobile data:

Rental cars are a spur-of-the-moment decision for many mobile-equipped travelers. 41% of rental car bookings made through priceline.com apps were same-day. Of those bookings, 48% were made within 2 hours of pickup.

Hotel star level preferences are expanding as mobile devices become more mainstream.
After priceline.com introduced its first Hotel Negotiator app for the
iPhone in 2009, customers with mobile devices chose 3-star or higher
hotels 82% of the time. Today, 63% of iPhone users choose luxury
hotels. Android users choose 3-star and above 54% of the time. iPad
users are still the pickiest, choosing 3-star and above hotels 69% of
the time. For smartphones, priceline.com said that the shift toward
lower price-point hotels has accelerated during the Christmas season
while, for the iPad, the shift has continued with each new release of
the popular tablet.

"Priceline.com's early mobile phone usage data suggests that the
almost exclusive preference for 3- and 4-star hotels was being driven by
more affluent early adopters of iPhones," said John Caine,
priceline.com's Chief Product Officer, who heads up the company's
mobile development teams. "Today, we're seeing more mobile devices in
the hands of mainstream Americans, whose hotel booking preferences more
closely parallel desktop-equipped hotel bookers. This is another
indication that the mobile marketplace for travel services is broadening
as the popularity of mobile devices grows."

Priceline's Hotel & Rental Car Negotiator app, lets
travelers use iPhone, iPad and iPod touch to quickly find and book
last-minute hotel rooms using priceline.com's Name Your Own Price® hotel
service and save up to 50% over published hotel rates. Users also can
book Tonight Only Deals, which are specially negotiated rates where the hotel is disclosed after the booking is confirmed. The Hotel & Rental Car Negotiator
app contains an option for browsing priceline.com's broad assortment of
published-price hotels for a particular city or town. Rental car
customers can use the app's Name Your Own Price® service for booking
rental cars at savings of up to 40% over published rates. The Hotel & Rental Car Negotiator app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes store http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/priceline-hotel-car-negotiator/id336381998?mt=8&uo=4.

LodgeNet Interactive Corporation (NASDAQ: LNET), the leading provider of
interactive media and connectivity services to hospitality and
healthcare businesses and the consumers they serve, today reported
continued and accelerating adoption of its new 'four screen' services
strategy and its interactive platforms during the first quarter of
2012.

Interactive TV Platform Increases Momentum
Rooms contracted for Envision, LodgeNet's latest generation, high-definition iTV platform, numbered 71,000 at March 31, 2012 – a 75% increase over year-end 2011. This includes the 7,100 rooms at The Venetian – the largest casino/resort complex in Las Vegas
and the company's largest Envision installation – as well as more than
13,000 rooms at over 30 properties in the Omni Hotels & Resorts
portfolio. Other Envision installations announced since the beginning of
this year include the flagship Sheraton Stamford (CT) hotel, The
Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles and JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE hotels in
downtown Los Angeles, and the nearly
2,000 room Hilton New York. The cloud-connected Envision platform
connects guests to essential hotel services and information about local
attractions as well as delivering the best in-room entertainment
options. Hotels focused on delivering consistent brand messages and
engaging their guests can customize Envision to support the identity and
services unique to their brands and individual properties.

Advanced App Adoption Exceeds Expectations
Further enhancing the value of Envision are LodgeNet's Advanced Apps,
which include eCompendium (information about hotel services and
facilities), eDining (on-site food and beverage ordering through the
TV), and eGuest Requests (towel replacement, maintenance requests,
etc.). "Hotel subscriptions to the Advanced Apps are exceeding our
initial expectations," said Scott C. Petersen,
LodgeNet Chairman and CEO. "Of the Envision sites installed at
quarter's end, more than 40% of the rooms are subscribing to an Advanced
App, and those Apps are generating approximately $4.00
of revenue per room per month for us. We are particularly pleased with
the high rate of Advanced App adoption because this is a 'software as a
service' offering that generates a steady stream of recurring revenues."

Interactive Mobile Platform Extends Hotel Connection Through Personal Technologies
In January LodgeNet launched the LodgeNet Mobile
App, expanding the company's relationship with the core traveler beyond
the guest room television. In the first three months of this year, the
company's mobile enabled base has expanded to serve over 570,000 guest
rooms across more than 2,400 North American hotels.

Travelers who download the app to their iPhone®, Android™ smartphone
or iPad® can customize their experience in everything from the in-room
movies they watch, to the restaurants they dine in, to the hotel
services and local entertainment options they choose. In addition to
providing full control over the in-room iTV experience, the app
incorporates additional features that meet travelers' diverse needs
throughout the course of their trip (including the just-launched mCheckout
feature). In just three months, the LodgeNet Mobile App has become a
traveler favorite by providing them with a fun, fast and easy-to-use way
to connect to the things they value most when they're away from home.
For hoteliers, the app provides a powerful and flexible vehicle to
connect with their guests through a device that is "always on" and
central to their travel experience.

"These first-quarter iTV and mobile achievements validate our
'four-screen' strategy, which focuses on helping hoteliers enhance their
economics and guest relationships through not only the in-room
television but the laptops, smartphones and tablet devices that are
traveling with guests wherever they go," said Petersen. "In addition,
the potential for engaging with guests before, during and after the stay
– through the technologies they're using every day – is clearly
resonating with the consumer. At the heart of our four-screen services
is our PowerPortal™, which allows single step, simultaneous publishing
of promotional and informational media to all four screens. This
powerful new cloud-based tool increases guest satisfaction while
requiring only minor resources to deploy. We look forward to reporting
further successes as we continue helping our customers maximize the
opportunities of a multi-device world."

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) announced today that Members of the airline's frequent flyer program, Rapid Rewards, can earn bonus points when booking select international flights on AirTran Airways, the airline's wholly owned subsidiary.

Southwest launched a promotion today that will reward Rapid Rewards Members 5,000 bonus points for each qualifying roundtrip flight or 2,500 bonus points for each qualifying one-way flight. Rapid Rewards Members must be a member of the AirTran A+ Rewards Program and register for the promotion at http://www.southwest.com/rrairtran5000pointsbetween April 9 and Aug. 31, 2012. Qualifying flights will need to be booked between April 9 and Aug. 31, 2012, for travel between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2012 (qualifying routes and service start dates listed below.)

The Rapid Rewards Bonus Points will be deposited into Members' accounts six to eight weeks after the promotion has ended on Aug. 31, 2012. Members also will receive the standard A+ Rewards flight credit earned through AirTran A+ Rewards program. Customers wanting to enroll in Rapid Rewards may click here, and Customers wanting to enroll in A+ Rewards may click here.

Flights to Algiers will move from Heathrow to Gatwick with seven flights a week. Algeria's capital city, Algiers mixes past with present with 17th-century mosques and Ottoman-style palaces in the hilltop Kasbah city with a Mediterranean harbour. British Airways offer hotels in the city, including the beach front Sheraton Club des Pins Resort and Towers and the Hilton Alger, which is set among pines over looking the bay.

Algiers is one of five routes to North Africa offered by British Airways, the others being Cairo in Egypt, Tripoli, Marrakech and Tunis.

The year-round service will operate on Boeing 737 jets, and roundtrip flights to London [http://www.britishairways.com/travel/flights-to-london/public/en_gb ] are available to book on http://www.ba.com.The fares are all inclusive, offering passengers free online check-in and seat selection up to 24 hours before departure, a 23 kg checked-in luggage allowance, plus two pieces of hand baggage, and no debit card fees.

In addition to the new service to Algiers, British Airways customers can also enjoy the luxury of flying in First Class on the airline's new long haul service to Moscow. The start of the summer season also sees addition of long haul flights from Heathrow to New York JFK, Johannesburg, Miami, Hong Kong and Riyadh
.

British Airways' partner Iberia will also move its eight daily services from Heathrow to Madrid into Terminal 5 from Terminal 3, for the first time. This terminal move will allow customers better access to more destinations, and a smoother transfer experience at Heathrow between British Airways and Iberia flights.

Other changes at Heathrow have resulted in additional short haul flights to popular destinations such as Barcelona, Brussels, Bologna, Rome, Hamburg, Paris Orly, Prague, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester.

Three new leisure routes, to Mahon in Menorca, Angers in the Loire Valley and Quimper in Brittany, will also start from London City Airport, resulting in a total of 21 destinations in the UK, Europe and USA being served from the docklands airport.

Thunder Valley Casino Resort gave away $11,029,679 in jackpots over $1,200 during the month of March. April looks to be just as promising as Thunder Valley introduces its $320,000 Gold Medal Giveaway along with several exciting spring promotions.

"March was a phenomenal month for our guests," said C.J. Graham, General Manager of Thunder Valley Casino Resort. "The giving will continue as Thunder Valley gears up for summer by putting the finishing touches on our highly anticipated Summer Concert Series – including live performances by Creedence Clearwater, Steve Miller Band, Earth Wind & Fire and much more."

$320,000 Gold Medal Giveaway
Win a trip to London for the 2012 Olympics during Thunder Valley's $320,000 Gold Medal Giveaway.
Every Friday and Saturday night in April, seven lucky winners will grab up to $5,000 cash or the guaranteed top prize, a $25,000 Olympic package for two to London – including travel arrangements, hotel accommodations and passes to select Olympic events.

Don't forget to tune in to KCRA 3 this summer where you can watch locally produced coverage of the Summer Olympics in London – courtesy of Thunder Valley Casino Resort.

A partial list of winners from last month is detailed below:

Geraldine G.

Rocklin, CA

$30,000.00

Christopher C.

Discovery Bay, CA

$26,497.00

Aloun V.

Sacramento, CA

$25,000.00

Marcus N.

Fayetteville, NC

$23,445.00

Narendra M.

Sacramento, CA

$17,404.00

Herminio H.

Rocklin, CA

$16,000.00

Amy L.

Berkeley, CA

$15,000.00

Altin S.

Sacramento, CA

$15,000.00

Joseph P.

Howell, MI

$11,587.00

Anthony K.

Tracy, CA

$10,125.00

Thunder Valley Casino Resort joined the elite ranks of AAA Four Diamond award-winning resort destinations in 2011. Located 30 miles east of Sacramento, Thunder Valley Casino Resort offers 250,000 square feet of gaming space – including over 2,800 slot and video machines, 125 table games and a live poker room with space for 210 players. Thunder Valley has 14 restaurants and bars, including High Steaks Steakhouse, Red Lantern and a 500-seat Feast Around The World Buffet as well as Mingle Bar, Falls Bar, Thunder Bar and High Steaks Bar. Thunder Valley Casino Resort is also home to a luxury, 17-story hotel with 297 rooms, including 40 suites and an expansive outdoor pool complete with private cabanas and Coconut, a poolside bar. The Spa at Thunder Valley features a wide variety of treatments including the exclusive 24-carat gold leaf facial. Also on property is a 3,700-space parking structure that leads guests directly into the casino and hotel. For more information on upcoming promotions, entertainment and ticket sales, or to make a reservation at Thunder Valley's AAA Four Diamond resort, visit http://thundervalleyresort.com.The United Auburn Indian Community opened Thunder Valley in June 2003.
SOURCE Thunder Valley Casino Resort